Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Unexpectedness - 2
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"Ah..."
Claire seemed to catch the meaning behind my smile, her face paling as she bowed her head. But it only lasted a moment. She clenched her fists tight.
"Someday... you'll need me. Need us... right?"
"Who knows."
"You've always said it. That you never know what'll happen in this world."
This world was full of variables. The basic rule was that the impossible stayed impossible. You could even spot folks on Nutube firing off shotgun blasts from their keyboards without batting an eye.
That's why, while traveling with the Hero Party crew, I'd always drilled it into them.
You never know what the world might throw at you, so prepare thoroughly.
I never imagined I'd be using those words like this...
"Well, you're not wrong."
"Right?"
Claire took a step closer to me. She looked straight up into my eyes, fists still clenched, and declared:
"Someday... someday for sure."
Would that day ever come?
Of course, I couldn't say 100% no. I'd handled all the main story events by sweet-talking my way through them, but things could get tangled enough that I'd need the Hero Party's help.
Still, as a veteran myself, I'd made my preparations. In a way, this was a showdown between me and the Hero Party.
And I'd never lost a showdown like this.
"That spirit of yours... I like it."
"Huh? Heh. Hehehe..."
"But if you get in my way, I won't forgive you."
If they interfered with my achievement grinding just to rebuild our ties, they'd be enemies that day.
When I said it with utter sincerity, Claire swallowed hard and gave a slight nod.
Good. That was enough.
I patted her shoulder and went back to gathering crystal grass. Claire hesitated a bit, then started gathering it beside me.
"You don't need to help."
"I'm just picking it on my own whim."
"Fair enough."
And with that, we finished gathering the crystal grass nearby. One bagful was plenty, so I stood up right away. Claire handed me the bag with what she'd gathered, then drew her hero's sword.
"Where to next?"
"Who knows."
"I'm going to pick up Leventia and Evangeline. They're on a mission from His Holiness the Pope right now."
"Hmm... where are they?"
"Curious? Wanna come along?"
"Nah."
"..."
Claire shot me a pouty look, then whipped her head away.
"Rogel Coast."
Rogel Coast, huh. Thinking about the things there and what the Pope might task them with, I nodded.
"Looks like they're tackling Rutbil Mansion. Is the Pope after Rutbil's Divine Mark?"
Rutbil Mansion was a kind of dungeon, one a saint from the church had once visited to purify.
Beating the boss there dropped Rutbil's Divine Mark, which was one of the church's requests.
"...You really know everything."
"Well, put the pieces together, and the answer comes. Max two people can enter at once, and there's nothing else worth the Pope asking for."
"Yeah. They should be done conquering it by now. I'll grab them and..."
"Yeah. Good luck."
"Hyunwoo. Once you gather what you need, you're heading straight to the Elf Forest?"
"Maybe? Probably swing by the palace first."
"Um... if I open a portal for you..."
"I'll teleport ahead. Do it if you want. The kingdom will probably ask for it anyway."
I needed to get there before the kingdom's alchemists, investigate, and craft what was needed.
Once I'd prepped things my way, directing the alchemists would speed up solving the plague.
No need to travel with them.
"...What about Cardinal Veronica?"
"She'll handle it with the church folks."
"And Princess Lucille..."
"That's for the kingdom to decide, right? Looks like you've got nothing else to say, so I'm off."
I could tell Claire kept dragging out the talk just to spend a bit more time with me.
I gave her a light wave as she looked visibly reluctant, then used teleport right away.
My destination: the western continent, Dwarven City where the dwarves lived.
***
"Hyunwoo..."
It felt like a dream. That encounter from moments ago.
Hyunwoo, met by pure chance, had vanished again like a dream that fades upon waking.
Her sturdy legs gave out.
Claire collapsed to the ground, wiping her face.
The smile she'd barely held onto slipped away, and the tears she'd been holding back streamed from her eyes.
"Hyunwoo..."
It was hard.
Keeping that smile in front of him.
It hurt.
Pretending to be calm in front of him.
And the saddest part?
He'd been doing it—enduring it—all throughout their journey.
All he ever showed them was cold detachment.
Facing even that was so hard, so painful, so sad for her.
Yet he'd never once complained of his pain. It was nothing short of amazing.
How had he managed it?
How on earth had he endured?
Recalling Hyunwoo's reactions from earlier, Claire felt her heart tear apart.
"Ah... aaah..."
Sorrow welled up, turning to tears that poured from her eyes. She covered her face to hide them, but it was nowhere near enough—tears seeped through her fingers.
"Hyunwoo... Hyunwoo..."
Lost in a daze, she sobbed alone, unable to move from the spot for a long while.
Only after shedding enough tears did Claire finally pull herself together. She took a white pill from her bag.
A mental stabilizer she took whenever guilt and self-loathing overwhelmed her.
She popped the strong prescription med—meant to curb excessive stress—into her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut at the bitter taste that numbed her tongue.
Had Hyunwoo taken these too?
He was a sage, able to use skills from every class.
Meaning he could craft these pills himself.
So he must have.
She was struggling this much in her situation—how much worse had it been for him?
He'd endured that pain, so a mere bitter pill would've been nothing.
"Aah... Hyunwoo..."
As time passed, her regret over him and her own actions only grew.
But spilled water couldn't be regathered. Not even a hero who'd slain the Demon King could turn back time.
There was only one thing she could do.
Endure this pain and inch closer to him, bit by bit.
Reconnect, even if just on that 'business relationship' he'd mentioned.
She had no choice but to approach him again, rebuild their bond.
There was no way to rewind time.
Claire let out a heavy sigh and stood.
She couldn't just sit there.
To be of help to the sage.
To become someone he needed.
She had to move.
No matter how hard it was.
***
In the western continent, at the heart of endless mountains that could not be crossed further, loomed Black Iron Mountain.
A heaven-sent mine richer in ores than anywhere else on the continent, Black Iron Mountain had long been known as the dwarves' city.
That was the lore of Dwarven City, and its central market bustled with plenty of dwarf shops.
The moment I arrived at the market street, I spotted beards galore on those squat little guys.
"Oi? Ain't that the sage? Long time no see! What's up?"
"Yeah~ Been a while~"
I'd learned teleport to study smithing tech and dropped by Dwarven City now and then.
The dwarves I'd gotten to know back then grinned and approached, so I cut straight to it.
"Need some mithril. Hook me up?"
"...You got a commission or what?"
I grinned and held out my hand to the baffled dwarves.
Asking for mithril—a rare ore even in-game—sounded ridiculous, but thanks to all the free quests and favors I'd done for Dwarven City, they just grimaced instead of cursing me out.
"C'mon~ We're past that between us. Got any mithril stashed away?"
"We got some, sure. Why?"
One shop owner—the Dwarven City Mayor and top smith, Marax—looked skeptical.
Fair enough. Mithril was rare even for dwarves.
I explained the situation, and after listening, the dwarves snorted openly.
"So, you're sayin' hand over mithril to save those elf bastards?"
"On a small scale, yeah, elves. On a big one, it's for the continent. You wouldn't just sit back during a continental crisis, right? Marax?"
He seemed deep in thought at my pitch, so I sidled up, threw an arm around his shoulders, and cast the 'Persuasion' skill.
"Marax, think about it. Elves piss me off too—wanna smack 'em sometimes—but if we just leave 'em?"
"If they can't contain it in the Elf Forest and the plague spreads... it'd be chaos."
"A chaos we barely put down, reignited because of dwarves. Think what that'd do to dwarf rep and honor?"
Dwarves obsessed over honor due to racial penalties. They valued good deeds, bound by contracts, and breaking honor caused massive stress.
It limited player choices, so most skipped dwarves' crafting and combat strengths as party members.
But as NPCs, they were solid. Persuade logically, tie it to 'good' and 'honor,' and they'd usually cave.
"Ugh... Sage. You're human, but I know you ain't the type to scam on something like this."
All that good dwarf rapport paying off!
As Marax muttered, the surrounding dwarves nodded in agreement.
Sweet. Mithril for free it was.
"But elves... couldn't we give it after a few croak?"
"If you're giving, don't be petty. Once I fix the plague, I'll tell the elves: Dwarves hate elves, sure, but out of pure humanitarian spirit, they generously forked over mithril!"
"Hmm."
"Even those arrogant, annoying elves'd have to bow deep to dwarves then, right? Worst case, I'll tell their chiefs myself."
"What?"
"Once the plague's solved, send a delegation to thank dwarves in person. Imagine: elves who live off their own hype, bowing to dwarves! What could be more honorable? Especially since it came from doing good, not war."
"Hmmmmm... Fair point. But will they listen?"
"Marax, you doubt me? I'm the sage. The sage. Leave it to me—just trust me."
"Ughhhh... Well, can't trust elves, but you, sage? Yeah."
"Right?"
I stuck out my hand.
"Gimme."
He stared, then scratched his head.
"Talkin' to you always sucks me in. Same as before..."
Gonna give but playing hard to get.
Author's Note
Sunday's over ㅠ Let's power through Monday, everyone! Good night~
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